More and more Spaniards are becoming self-employed in recent years when they discover, once unemployed from jobs they have held for a while, there are no other jobs to be had anywhere in Spain.
Starting their own tea-tasting business, an independent restoration business, offering freelance art services or founding their own computer company, Spaniards are beginning to realize their path to employment may be as simple as self-employment and starting their own businesses. After all, at least then they are partially responsible for their own fate, rather than waiting for Rajoy’s government to come up with a solution. (Hint…it hasn’t yet, and isn’t likely to).
This short Al Jazeera report profiles several Spaniards who have become self-employed in the last couple of years, in order to solve their own unemployment problem.
It also mentions how the Spanish government is supporting them, in a small way, by sometimes offering their unemployment benefits in a lump sum, which can be used to start a business, or lowering social security payments for the under 30s.
Self-sufficiency, however, does come with its own set of risks. A lump sum of unemployment benefits is just one of them.
In fact, in Spain, just like in most other countries, the majority of start-up companies collapse in the first three years and, with Spain’s economy in the crisis it is in, it’s even more likely to happen in Spain.
Watch the video about Spaniards becoming self-employed and decide for yourself. A good idea or one fraught with more risk and little reward?